


A Dumb Crush

by littlesunshinelily



Series: My SaiShira fics [2]
Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), F/M, Fluff, Hope's Peak Academy, Tenko you useless bisexual
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-07-01 11:46:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15773475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlesunshinelily/pseuds/littlesunshinelily
Summary: Him? Of all people? Let alone boys? No smut, angst, largely just self-indulgent shipping.





	A Dumb Crush

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jaems](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaems/gifts).



_Him,_ of all _people_ , let alone _boys_?

 

Tenko found herself appalled when the realisation of her emotions came crashing down on her like a truck down a highway, almost the same as they had when that _exact same boy_ pointed out to her that her master was male.

Tenko would admit she’d never been the brightest mind the world had to offer, or the most in control of her emotions. Certainly, after falling for girl after girl, and being dubbed by half her class as “a notorious misandrist”, the idea of outright _falling_ for a boy, especially one not even putting in the effort to study Neo-Aikido, never crossed her mind. And yet, here she was, undoubtedly feeling every emotion and showing nearly every symptom of a crush.

_A crush on Shuichi Saihara, of all people._

Tenko had been hanging out with him a lot recently – mostly because he usually seemed to hang out with Kaede. Unlike with Himiko, Sayaka, Mikan, or – was Natsumi her name? – she’d never seemed to click with Kaede romantically. When she’d been sick, Tenko wound up hanging out with Shuichi anyway as a force of habit. And that’s how Tenko got herself into this mess, she told herself.

At first, Tenko had outright denied it. She told herself that she hadn’t been practicing Neo-Aikido enough, that she hadn’t really recovered from Himiko’s rejection. In retrospect, following a girl everywhere to an almost stalkery degree probably sullied most of her chances, and Himiko just being plain more interested in Angie as a romantic partner destroyed the rest. The former had been a valuable lesson, indubitably, and one she’d disciplined herself with, so it never weighed her down again.

But when denying it didn’t work, she tried to vent those feelings instead. That meant more Neo-Aikido, and almost performing Kiyotaka’s job to an insane degree with a focus almost exclusively on male students. But even after her anger had long since evaporated, that fluttering in her heart she got when she spent time with him never seemed to want to **go the hell away.**

Tenko’s next line of reasoning? Someone had cursed her to fall in love with him. The phone call to Himiko had been filled with apologies and insistence that she’d understood Himiko had said no, she just needed help with a curse and needed it to be dispelled. But even after Himiko had cast one of her most powerful dispel curses, that _damn fluttering wouldn’t stop._

What was there even to like? Tenko thought to herself, staring angrily at the ceiling and the rotating fan blowing a gentle breeze across her dorm room. Even if he was a girl, Shuichi wasn’t a performer like Sayaka or Himiko. Sure, he helped people, but it wasn’t directly like Mikan. He’d just bring criminals to justice. She could do that. She did do that. If she were allowed to visit Master during the semester, she’d probably keep doing that. He did have a strong sense of justice, she’d admit that.

He wasn’t confident in himself… though Himiko hadn’t been either, really, at first. Come to think of it, neither was Mikan… Geez, how many of her crushes had been nervous, anxious, or otherwise lacking self-confidence? That seemed to be something she might have been attracted to.

He’d also _at least_ respected her space and understood “don’t come near me” and every hostile glance she’d given him. He’d endured even when she’d physically thrown him about three months into their first year, when she’d thought she’d caught him staring at her chest at a class trip to the beach. He hadn’t been, she’d found out later thanks to Kirumi’s word, which given a few seconds to think, was a lot more believable than Kokichi’s.

There was also how he looked. He did have a feminine look and demeanour about him, with long lashes and a more withdrawn personality…

Tenko slammed a pillow over her face and started to scream. How many little things, little bits and pieces of Shuichi’s traits, had been piling up over the months, to culminate and become romantic feelings? What had been the stupid event that tipped the scales in that way and made her realise this? How would she even face Master and tell him with a straight face – well, as straight as Tenko came – that she’d fallen for a boy?

As if on cue in a crappy romcom, Tenko’s phone lit up with a text. Bringing it up to her face, Kaede’s contact details were strewn across the screen, alongside a text:

“Are you alright? I heard you screaming from your dorm room”

Tenko blew a raspberry as her arm sunk back down to the side of the bed. Of course _she’d_ scream loud enough for _Kaede_ to hear, even muffled with a pillow. After a moment, Tenko returned the message.

“You’ve got to ask Shuichi out! It’s obvious you two have a thing for each other!”

It was a brazen text. One that backfired. Spectacularly.

“Me and Shuichi are just friends, why do you want us to get together? And that doesn’t really answer my question… Unless there’s something you’re not telling me?”

 

Tenko let out another scream, this time unable to muffle it with a pillow in time. Only a few moments later, there was another knock at her door.

“Tenko?” Kaede’s voice called from the hall. Sighing, Tenko pushed herself to her feet and answered the door.

“Is everything al- wow, your cheeks are really red,” Kaede commented, raising her hands in surprise, even if her facial expression didn’t convey the same amount.

“Th-they’re not _that_ red!” Tenko protested, but it did nothing but prove Kaede’s point.

“So there’s a crush involved… Wait, it couldn’t be me, could it?”

Tenko stood out of the doorway, letting Kaede in. “You’ve got no idea how much I wish that was the case.”

“Um… okay.” Kaede slipped through the door. “So if it’s not me, who is it?”

Tenko hesitated with her answer for a moment, before taking a deep breath and replying. “S-Shuichi.”

Kaede blinked in disbelief for a moment, before clapping her hands together. “Aaw, that’s so cute!”

“It’s not cute! It’s wrong! He’s a boy, and they’re awful!”

“After all the time we’ve both spent together and with him, you’re really going to call Shuichi awful?”

“Well, he’s not as bad as most boys- that’s not the point! I thought I only liked girls!”

“Um- may I touch your shoulders?”

Tenko nodded, and Kaede gently held onto her shoulders.

“Whether you like girls, boys, both, neither- you’re still our classmate and friend, Tenko. There’s nothing to be ashamed of, and we don’t expect any of us to have everything figured out by now. I think I like both too, if that helps you feel any better…”

“Even so, Master would be appalled if I revealed I’d fallen for a boy…”

Gently, Kaede released Tenko’s shoulders. “Honestly? I think if you introduced Shuichi to him, he’d change his tune right away. Speaking of Shuichi, should I tell him to meet you somewhere so you can tell him how you feel?”

“What- now!?”

“No, not now, unless that’s when you want. But I think you should at least confess how you feel to him. Before… y’know. Something like what happened with Himiko happens.”

“Right… No, not right! I’ll confess now! What’s his number?”

“Wait- you don’t even have his number?”

“I didn’t have a reason to have it!”

Kaede sighed.

 

A hasty text, and a few moments of Tenko trying to remain calm later, there was a second knock at the door.

“You sure you want me to answer it?” Kaede asked. “I’m pretty sure that he’d appreciate it more if you answered.”

“I… can’t. I’m already trying to figure out how to tell him!” Tenko replied.

“Okay, okay…” Kaede said, before pulling open the door. To the surprise of none of the three, Shuichi stood on the other side.

“… Tenko said she wanted to see me?” He scratched behind his head.

Kaede side-stepped out of the doorway, only for Tenko to spring into action and take her place with almost lightning pace.

“C-Calm down, do you- mmmph,” Kaede silenced herself before finishing her sentence.

Shuichi had also stood back slightly, eyebrows raised and a slight look of worry on his face.

Tenko cleared her throat and stood upright at the spine.

“Um… you’re not an unbearable boy,” Tenko said, pushing her index fingers into a pyramid.

Shuichi gave an awkward smile, and Kaede slammed her hand against her face.

Tenko turned to Kaede with a tense shrug, before turning back to Shuichi. “L-Look, we’ve been hanging out a lot, and… for _some reason,_ I don’t hate you. I… ugh. Think I might … like you.”

Shuichi laughed nervously. “Y-yeah, I think we’re pretty good friends too…”

“No, I mean a different kind of like!” Tenko only seemed to be getting more tense as the conversation went on. “As in I like you the same way that I liked Himiko! This is already so awkward for me, so please don’t be oblivious!”

Shuichi exchanged glances with Kaede, the latter of which shrugging, while Tenko awaited an answer. She knew Shuichi wasn’t the kind to screw around, and he surely knew she was the same in that respect.

Eventually, Shuichi turned back to Tenko.

“I… I kind of return the feelings. Just seeing how you’ve grown this year as a person in terms of your experiences… I think you’ve improved a lot, even compared to the rest of the class. Before I knew it…” Shuichi had lowered his hat to hide his face. “I didn’t say anything because I was afraid of how you’d react.”

Tenko took a step forward, before lifting the hat from his head. “Look, it’s not your fault. You were just born a boy. Master told me to be careful around boys, but… honestly, even if you were awful, I could probably take you in a fight. No offense.”

“None taken… can I have my hat back, please?” Shuichi asked.

“You’ve said we’ve all grown, but you’re still hiding behind this. So…” Tenko smiled impishly. “You can have it back when you’ve proven you don’t need it.”

“Tenko…” Kaede folded her arms.

“What?”

Kaede didn’t respond verbally but gave Tenko a disapproving pout. After a few seconds, Tenko crumbled.

“… Okay, I’ll give it back,” Tenko said, handing the cap back. “But don’t put it back on just yet.”

Shuichi hesitated for a moment, before taking the hat back in his hand. “… I’ll bite. Why not?”

“I… I need to practice touching your face,” Tenko said. “And just seeing it, in general, to let me know this is all real.”

Shuichi seemed on edge as Tenko traced his cheekbones with her finger, her warm hands doing little to ease him when the last time she’d touched him was to throw him. But slowly, he seemed to ease. Tenko was confident she wasn’t going to throw him this time.

“I… have some things I need to do. I’ll see you both later,” Kaede said, slipping out in the space next to the two and heading back into her room, closing the door behind her.

 

The two acknowledged her leaving, but barely paid attention to it, both Tenko and Shuichi focusing on each other in silence as the former traced the facial features of the latter’s face.

“… May I hold your wrist?” Shuichi asked eventually. “G-Gently, of course.”

Tenko hesitated for a moment. “… I… ugh. It’d be hypocritical if I said no.”

“You can still say no.”

“… Not in good conscience. You… can.”

Every ounce of Tenko’s willpower went to not throwing Shuichi in a reflex as his hand closed shakily around her wrist, causing her hand to freeze at his jaw. As his hand remained there, closed enough to feel intimate but not enough to feel restrictive, Tenko began to feel those urges grow weaker and weaker, before disappearing completely. As her hand began to move again and continue tracing his features, the tremoring in Shuichi’s hand also grew weaker.

 

Tenko was the next to speak up again, after what seemed like an eternity.

“… Ugh, I need to be sure this is real! It feels weird, like it’s real but not real! I need to decide! Can I kiss you?!”

“I- That’s- that was fast!” Shuichi’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“You can still say no,” Tenko mirrored.

“I… if you’re sure you want to, I don’t mind.”

 

Neither were entirely sure what the other’s lips would be like, but the softness between the two came as a surprise to both. Though Tenko had only intended for it to be a short peck, once she was in, she found both her wildest hopes and greatest fears were realized, and didn’t want to back out. At least, not until it was clear the two were short on breath, and she finally broke away.

“It… it’s real,” Tenko said, once she had her breath back. “I can’t believe it, but, I’ve fallen in love with you. But… still, nobody can know about this! Not yet, anyway!”

As Shuichi opened his mouth to respond, a voice, muffled by glass, interrupted him.

“Too late!”

Shuichi had never seen someone’s expression change from adoration to fury so quickly, and he had to duck as Tenko turned around to avoid being hit in the face by one of her twintails. As suspected, Kokichi was the source of the third-party voice.

And Tenko took off towards the window, determined to find some way to keep the little twerp silent.

**Author's Note:**

> So after an eight-month leave from mainstream DR fandom, I'm finally back with another non-OC oriented fic! Whether I'll make a habit of keeping canon and OC separate or will eventually just give up and write OCxCanon, I don't know. But either way I hope this was enjoyable.
> 
>  
> 
> P.S. I am aware of the fandom-perceived taboo of shipping Tenko with guys in the DR fandom. But not to worry, I have a permit: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CDOC2HXUEAAOCV5.jpg


End file.
